You don’t need an Android tablet to use the new books directory. You can select any title and click the “Get it Now” button to add it to your Google Books account. From there you can read the title on any computer with a web browser, or access the books from a mobile device running the Google Books app for Android or iOS. The Barnes & Noble NOOK and Sony Reader eBook readers also support Google Books.

The Market is divided into new arrivals, top selling eBooks, and top free books. You can also browser by category (biography, children’s, fiction, history, humor, etc) or view a list of New York Times Bestsellers.

One of the highlighted books, Tick Tock by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, was available via the Market for $12.99; says PC Magazine. It wasn’t available on Amazon’s Kindle, although Amazon is selling a hardcover version for $14.57, plus shipping costs.

Brick-and-mortar bookstores may look like they’re in trouble, says O’Reilly. The Borders bankruptcy a case in point. But Kassia Krozser, owner of Booksquare.com, says that amidst all this upheaval, we’re actually in a golden age of publishing. People are discovering and reading content all the time, and the very definition of “publisher” is expanding.